March Madness 23

[ousdahl]

practicing the mid-range game...you mean like, free throws?

[KUTradition]

…players don't devote a lot of their time to practicing the mid-range game.

i agree with this

several announcers have also alluded to the Steph Curry effect

i think Gradey could’ve been a bit more effective this year had he utilized that mid-range pull-up more…it’s definitely in his skill set

[holidaysmore]

GD is a great spot up or rhythm shooter. You crowd him or face guard away he becomes mostly in-effective.
The next step and maturation of his game will be being able to take two dribbles and use his height to pull up off the bounce. That will come with time - either in a gym in Lawrence or in practice at various arenas and gyms across the US.

[Mjl]

On the Texas vs Miami game - both of those teams' mid-range game was a thing of beauty. Very difficult to defend the drive and pull-up plus very high percentage shot. More teams should use it more often.

Analytics would say otherwise

I analyzed this particular game with my eyes. Maybe analytics, which you didn't quote by the way, don't take into account the fact that players don't devote a lot of their time to practicing the mid-range game.

I helped create those analytics.
Players shot a lot of mid range jumpers and worked on them. They're getting away from it now because player tracking helped create a massive dataset that showed how likely shots were to go in based on where they were shit from. As a whole, midrange jumpers are not efficient.

[Sparko]

Well then, MJL, bricks should be expected shitting from midrange.

[twocoach]

Honestly I think this final 4 is gonna be really good. 4, 5, 5, and 9 seeds. No blue bloods or stars really, just a bunch of teams that play good team basketball

Meh, looks like a bunch of semifinal games from the mid-tier Thanksgiving holiday tourneys, not an actual Final Four. There were about 20 teams I though were good enough to make a Final Four and UConn is the only one of those that actually made it. Next Saturday sounds like a good day to get something done while others are watching the Final Four.

[MICHHAWK]

upsets in the first weekend are great. upsets in the second weekend not so much.

the madness went overboard this year. hopefully this is one time only.

[twocoach]

upsets in the first weekend are great. upsets in the second weekend not so much.

the madness went overboard this year. hopefully this is one time only.

It will probably take one more season for the glut of extra covid seasons to clear through the system and get the lower tier teams knocked back down to their normal cycles.

[AlOerter]

Analytics would say otherwise

I analyzed this particular game with my eyes. Maybe analytics, which you didn't quote by the way, don't take into account the fact that players don't devote a lot of their time to practicing the mid-range game.

I helped create those analytics.
Players shot a lot of mid range jumpers and worked on them. They're getting away from it now because player tracking helped create a massive dataset that showed how likely shots were to go in based on where they were shit from. As a whole, midrange jumpers are not efficient.

Whatever you say. Guys that are good at mid range jumpers are harder to guard than guys that aren't. I don't buy that players work on them as much as they work on 3's and driving to the rim. I've seen a lot of missed shots at the rim in the tournament because they tend to be challenged harder than pull up jumpers. Like I said, I don't know the numbers but I've watched and played a ton of ball in my lifetime.

Having said all that, I have a great deal of appreciation for your skill at crunching numbers and don't dismiss it out of hand. I'm just giving my opinion as a fan.

[pdub]

Certainly if you have a mid range jumper, you're harder to guard.
And you definitely should work on everything in the arsenal if you want to be elite.

I think analytics will say you want to maximize the shots that will get you the most points per attempt -- and so that's the three pointer, because of the extra point, and layups and dunks, because those have a higher chance to go in and draw a foul.

[AlOerter]

Good post pdub. In that light it's amazing that JWil put up as many points as he did because the dunk was not in his repertoire and he wasn't high percentage shooter from 3 and he took some very difficult shots in the lane. I do think he should have gotten to the line a lot more because of all the no-calls.

[zsn]

I’ve posted this before so with adequate warning……I completely agree with the loss of the mid-range shooting. One of the most effective plays is what we used to call the “free-throw jumper”. On just about every possession a shooter is open for a viable period within a few feet of the free throw line, for longer against the zone.

It was very interesting that Miami completed their comeback against Texas without shooting a single three, not even attempting one for several possessions!

[pdub]

I guess by layup, I just generally mean driving to the basket for a close range attempt.

[randylahey]

Seems like you guys are missing the obvious. We actually are getting a BETTER tournament this year, with older experienced teams making deeps runs

[randylahey]

Maybe the names on the jerseys aren't doing it for ya, maybe the seeds attached to them aren't high enough, but these teams can hoop. Theyve got mature athletes playing team basketball. Theres a reason they outlasted the kansas dukes and Kentuckys of the world

[AlOerter]

Would like to know how many hamburgers are left in the final 4.

[NewtonHawk11]

Would like to know how many hamburgers are left in the final 4.

The highest rated recruit left is someone who was like 40th in the class. And I think he's from UConn.

[NewtonHawk11]

Consensus is, burgers stink. 40th and beyond are better.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Someone say "ANALytics"?

[MICHHAWK]

i'm not picky. i like any bucket. 2-pt. 3-pt. i don't care. when the ball goes in the hole i cheer.